Festivals

Do you like to party, eat delicious fresh garlic, drink and be merry? If so, then a garlic festival might be the good time you have been looking for because garlic festivals have it all. They have tons of garlic based foods for cooking and eating competitions, live music, performances, fashion shows, arts and crafts, cooking demonstrations, vendors, free samples, lectures, games, and even children’s rides. Perhaps you prefer more exotic things; well you can try some garlic beer or garlic ice cream to indulge your discerning palette while watching the King and Queen of the garlic festival get anointed into their garlicky monarchy. Whatever your garlic pleasure might be, you can find it at a garlic festival! Did we mention the delicious food? We hope you enjoy the party!
Grey Duck Garlic Article (By: Susan Fluegel, PhD. We sell organic gourmet seed garlic at www.greyduckgarlic.com)

California

Adult $17.00, seniors over 60 years $8.00, children 6-12 $8.00, children under 6 free, $2 Military discount with valid US Military ID. Discounted tickets online for this garlic fest.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival is the big boy of garlic festivals. It was started in 1979 to help foster community pride in the areas soft neck garlic production. Since that time it has grown into a huge, heavily sponsored event with loads of garlic themed entertainment. Over 100,000 visitors attended in 2013 and $350,000 was distributed to 167 charities. The festival has raised over $10 million for charities over its 35 year run. Gilroy Garlic festival concentrates more on the food and fun aspect of garlic than on garlic production or diversity.

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New for 2013: Garlic bowl pitted chefs from three rival universities: The University of California, Berkeley; Fresno State and San Jose State. Fresno State won the $5,000 scholarship.

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The Garlic and Harvest Festival features family fun for all with garlic growing lectures, fresh garlic, cooking demos, garlic ice cream, live music, rides and a zip line. The festival is growing every year and provides loads of entertainment. This year they have a new and improved website with lots of photos.

Florida

$10 early bird per day early admission (before 6 pm) on Friday and Saturday, $20 admission after 6 pm Saturday and Sunday, $10 all day on Sunday, children 10 and under FREE

This festival is orientated towards ‘Food Entertainment’, i.e. music and fine dining not garlic growing. There are musical acts, entertainment and great food. Money raised goes to support local non-profit educational and art programs for youth. Delray Beach Garlic Fest has donated over $430,000 to charity.

Indiana

This festival is sponsored by Garlic, Inc., a 2012 nonprofit educational group. They concentrate on the educational aspect of garlic consumption and offer interesting lectures about field to plate food production and consumption. Sadly their website has some issues with secondary navigation (try to capture the navigational button, right click and hit open to see pages).

Massachusetts

Adults $5/day or $8/weekend, children under 12 free, be a volunteer for free admission

North Quabbin Garlic and Arts Fest features interesting demonstrations, a raw garlic eating contest, unique venders, renewable energy info, and lots of family entertainment. This non-profit event is a fund raiser for Seeds of Solidarity Educational Center and emphasizes homemade and handmade high quality crafts. Check out the cool wood-fired masonry oven that bakes great food for the volunteers! Their slogan: "where Orange is the new green".

Minnesota

Adults $5, kids under 12 $3, babies carried/in strollers free, parking $1, volunteer to get free admission. In 2013 they had a 2 for 1 ticket you could print out on their website.

Minnesota Garlic Festival has over 100 varieties of garlic from local growers for you to buy! This family friendly and zero waste event has cooking demonstrations, entertainment and live music. For more on the festival plus some oddball facts check out their funny and interesting e-newsletter, The Stinky News. I started reading and found myself laughing out loud several times. Annual garlic poster design competition and recipe contest.

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Garlic growing contest (prizes for biggest, smallest and best made over bulb!) Want to compete? Check out our page on growing really small bulbs! Sadly we have no page on garlic grooming tips yet.

New York

$10 per day at gate, advance tickets $7 adults and $3 senior (65 or older), children under 12 free with an adult

Hudson Valley Garlic Festival NY has an astonishing variety of garlic varieties and venders complimented by great entertainment. The garlic takes center stage here and everything else revolves around it. If you are looking to sample the full range of garlic flavors or wear garlic on your hat, this is the place to do it. For the grower or cook there are many garlic growers selling exotic garlic seed or culinary garlic. This is one of the larger garlic festivals.

Main Features:

Garlic growers and garlic supplies

Garlic themed arts and crafts

Garlic food venders selling exotic creations

Garlic Seed Foundation to answer questions about the stinking rose

Chefs and expert lecturers on various topics related to garlic, herbs and gardening

Performers and musicians

Many children’s activities including a rock climbing wall and gemstone panning

The Cuba Garlic Festival is a fun family event with food and craft demonstrations, a garlic cook off, cheese making demo, and dog agility exposition. Enter your perfect garlic in a great garlic bulb contest or participate in a garlic hot dog eating contest! For those who like wine with their garlic, there is even an amateur wine making contest.

The Fox Run Vineyard Garlic Festival pairs fine wines with garlic foods and music. There are a series of lectures on garlic growing, cooking, wine, and food. Buy heirloom garlic or enter the annual poster contest.

Mohawk Valley Garlic and Herb Festival offers a fun day watching the garlic cook off, garlic braiding demonstrations and medicinal herb lectures. One third of the admission costs go to support the Mohawk Valley Center of the Arts. They seem to take their mission seriously, and look askance at handing out suspicious pamphlets or decorating vender booths out of season. Their motto: 'Eat, Stink and Be Merry'.

The Long Island Garlic Festival celebrates organic garlic with garlic food, crafts, music and theater. Some of the proceedings go to support local environmental charities. Garlic Iron Chef! Three local chefs have 1/2 hour to prepare a master garlic dish in front of a live audience.

Ohio

Adults $8 one day or $12 two day, 3-12 years $2 one day or $3, child under 3 free, senior (65+) $4 one day and $6 two day

The Cleveland Garlic Festival is a celebration of grilling, garlic and fun family activities with a dash of local stainability thrown in. Money from the festival is used to support and operate farmer's markets and educational and charitable market programs throughout Greater Cleveland.

Oregon

This is the winner of the Garlic Festival Face-Off so they reclaimed their original name (they had split into two festivals: the Summer Fest & Garlic out West and the Oregon Garlic Festival). This festival focuses on elephant garlic (actually a member of the leek family) not 'real' garlic. However, in the spirit of fun stinks, I am including their festival in my list. They have one of the best website addresses: funstinks.com!

Pennsylvania

At the gate adults $10 and children 5-12 $7.50, in advance adults $7.50 and children 5-12 $6, children 4 or under free, 2 day pass $13 in advance or $15 at the gate

Pocono Garlic Festival has plenty of family entertainment with two days of nonstop garlic food, music, novelty family shows, and children’s activities. Cooking demonstrations by chefs; local growers and artisans; and strolling entertainers add to the air of fun.

Main Features:

Growers selling garlic and other farm raised products

Garlic Eating Contest Queen or King

Garlic themed arts and crafts

Garlic food venders (including garlic flavored snow cones)

Chefs and lecturers

2 outdoor stages for performers and musicians

Many children’s activities including an educational tent, magic shows and Pie Man

Vermont

Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival has fun activities for garlic growers and cooks. You can go on a weed walk to discover the different properties of common plants, learn how to grow garlic, participate in a pie eating contest, try to get a hole in one in garlic golf, or relax in the beer and wine tent with a garlic margarita. About 12,000 people attended in 2012.

Virginia

With wine tasting: $18 advance, $25 at door General: $14 advance, $20 at door, children 12 and under free

The Virginia Wine & Garlic Festival features a selection of wine from Virginia wineries and garlic from local growers. Spend the weekend drinking great wine, sampling garlicky food, and being entertained.

Main Features:

Rebec Garlic Cook Off

Local crafts people and garlic growers

Garlic Queen competition (wackiness is encouraged in costume and talent)

Musicians, comedians, belly dancers and more

Washington

The Northwest Garlic Festival features fun family entertainment with a variety of venders, food and live music. See their collection of garlic decor and clothes; including jewelry and hats! Try out their selection of handmade garlic soaps (mmm mmm, add a little tomato sauce hair gel and a mozzarella hat with a spring of oregano for that freshly baked pizza smell guaranteed to attract hungry people and dogs - just don't let the dogs eat the garlic). Those with an artistic bent can try their hand at the annual garlic poster contest.

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Adults: $5, seniors over 65 $4, Military with ID $4, children 7 and under free

The Chehalis Garlic Fest and Craft Faire features fun for all with 65 different kinds of naturally grown garlic, gourmet garlic foods, a vintage trolley to pick up people in the Twin Cities, wine tasting and pony rides.

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Garlic food venders

Arts and craft venders

Seed garlic

Cloves and Bulbs Wine Tasting

Beer garden

Children’s activities and pony rides

Canada

Perth Garlic Festival offers a garlicky good time with local garlic growers, educational lectures, cooking demos, and an art silent auction. One of the world's top 10 garlic festivals with many fun events. They even provide a garlic cough syrup recipe for those who sleep alone (umm believe in the curative powers of garlic).

At South Cariboo Garlic Festival you can take your picture with the garlic mascot Garlina, try a garlic cookie or watch the Master Garlic Chef competition. It is fun for the whole family with live entertainment and activities for children (even a garlic peeling and eating contest). It is not everywhere you can see 'Elvis' pose with a giant garlic (Garlina).

Hill’s Garlic Festival has fun contests and activities for everyone. Try your hand at garlic poetry or see who has the largest bulb! Over 160 booths feature organic, homemade and hand grown garlic, produce, plants and all sorts of crafts. Listed as one of the world's top 10 garlic festivals.

At the festival visitors learn about the many strains of local garlic. While stocking up on garlic they can taste delicious garlic-themed food prepared by chefs and paired with Ontario craft beer; and try garlic-infused chocolate, fudge and brittle, and garlic ice cream, all created locally. Plus, black garlic, pickled garlic scapes, garlic jelly, garlic dill pickles, garlic soda, garlic braids, garlic bulbils (for planting), garlic pesto, and several types of Ontario-made condiments are available for purchase. Fascinating presentations on garlic history, health benefits and cultural secrets are featured throughout the festival day among other activities such as contests, a film screening and cooking demos.